Filmus Monochromus
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A trip around the garden!
Now we have been living here on the beach for just over a year, we are starting to see the fruits of all the hard work we did through last year, not only on the house but more importantly on the garden.
Susie’s first winter onions and I can confirm they are big, juicy and powerful. I had a great cheese and onion sandwich lunchtime and my eyes are still watering!
Home grown strawberrys are too good and tasty to describe………
We built four raised vegetable beds to make maintaining the plots easy and keep everything contained. We dug out about six inches of soil, replaced that with a mix of mushroom compost and horse poo, then filled up with good quality top soil.
The plots currently have: courgettes, beetroot, runner beans, French beans, peas, white and red onions, shallots, rhubarb and strawberries.
This is ‘compost corner’ and a holding site for the tree prunings ready for burning. Susie also has her red currant, raspberry, blueberry and blackcurrant bushes in there.
Looking towards the house from ‘compost corner’. On the right is an area of wild garden populated with poppies, red hot pokers and other wild grasses.
Looking across at the plum and apple trees, two of each and different varieties. They had not been pruned for years so we gave them a gentle pruning and then will give them another at the end of this year. That should ensure larger fruit but not as much as last year. We still have homemade jams and plum vodka coming out of our ears. We also had a major problem with the badgers breaking in when they smell the over-ripe fruit. They actually tore down a section of fence!
The greenhouse and external garage. Potato tubs are at the end by the swing seat.
Several varieties of tomatoes on the go in the greenhouse.
Between the external garage and the house is the path to the garage attached to the house. This is the garage we are converting to a darkroom/study/sewing room. The water butts are necessary as we are on a water meter and pay for all the water we consume. Currently we have eight water butts with another four to be installed. Then we will be capturing the rain of all the roofs, even the garage and shed.
Looking back to ‘compost corner’ with the wild garden. The area where the large flowering plant is used to be a fish pond but was full of crap, algae and had a leak. We emptied it out - can still smell it! - got some rubble from the various building works we have had done and filled the bottom. Then in went the compost and horse poo mix followed by top soil. We scattered wild flower seed and left it to do its own thing.
At the end of the veg plots was a rockery but we decided to turn it over to another bit of wild garden. As you can see poppies are prevalent here - some consider them a weed. They grow everywhere and of course shed more seeds at the end of the season. Pointless trying to control them - we just enjoy the varied sizes and colours. The theory is the original poppy seeds were either blown over from the poppy fields on the coast of Northern France or brought over by birds in their droppings.
Been hard work but great seeing it all starting to grow and bloom. Susie is the head gardener and brains behind it all, I just cut the grass, lift heavy stuff and make tea.
I also act as chief taster - tough job but somebody has to do it!
Next Saturday I will show you the front garden - that will be a short post……… promise.
